A dog at home is truly a part of your family and provides companionship and security. However, if Fido bites someone, you could be facing thousands in lawsuits and high home insurance premiums.

The Insurance Information Institute, notes that dog bites cost the property and casualty insurance industry about $317.2 million in 2005. Thus home insurance companies seriously consider the breed of dog a homeowner owns when rating the policy. Breeds that are statistically more likely to bite or injure someone can raise your home insurance rate.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention tracked the breeds that caused the most fatalities over a 20-year period, from 1979 to 1998. They are as follows:

1. Pit Bull type

2. Rottweiler

3. German Shepherd

4. Husky

4. Malamute

6. Doberman Pinscher

7. Chow Chow

8. Great Dane

9. Saint Bernard

It's a good idea to talk to your insurance agent or home insurance company before you bring home a new dog, to make sure it's not going to raise your premium. If you already have a dog, you can take steps to reduce the chance that it might bite. Here's what the Insurance Information Institute suggests:

1. Spay or neuter your dog.

2. Spend time training your dog and socializing it with people and other animals.

3. Aggressive games like "tug-of-war" could encourage aggression. Non-aggressive games like "fetch" might be better.

4. Maintain control of your dog, especially in situations in which you are not sure how they will behave.

Scott Lunt is a freelance writer with over 15 years experience writing insurance-related articles. You can find more tips on saving money for car, home, life, health and long-term care insurance plus get free comparison quotes -- at LowerYourInsurance.com